The union official in this seedy scenario, Ray Soucy, was sentenced in federal court in New Haven Monday to only six months in a halfway house. U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton gave Mr. Soucy a break because of his "extraordinary cooperation" with the government, his ill health and other factors.

Five participants in the scheme had already been sentenced to jail, and Judge Arterton felt it was time to send a positive message about cooperating with the government. While her point is taken, Mr. Soucy attempted to buy the vote of a legislator. It is a pity the former correction officer won't see a prison cell from the other side of the bars.

The drivers of this plot were the owners of roll-your-own cigarette shops. Though the shops had machines that rolled cigarettes, they were exempt from the state's heavy tax on manufactured cigarettes and thus could vastly undercut the competition. When legislative efforts to end the loophole were mounted two years ago, shop owners determined to fight it.

They turned to Mr. Soucy, a correction officer and AFSCME union official, who advised them in late 2011 to funnel money to the congressional campaign of then-House Speaker Christopher Donovan, the leading contender for the Democratic nomination in the 5th District. The shop owners came across with contributions, via illegal straw donors, of almost $28,000.

The FBI soon got onto the scheme, and convinced Mr. Soucy to cooperate. He did, and two campaign staffers and five shop owners or employees were arrested. Two await sentencing. Mr. Donovan was knocked out of the congressional race, but he denied wrongdoing. The bill to end the smoke-shop loophole eventually passed in a special session.

The demands of congressional fundraising border on the insane — members of Congress should be doing the public's business rather than dialing for dollars — but are no excuse for breaking the law.

More important, is this the way business is done at the Capitol? Legislative leaders bent over backward to say no. But why did Mr. Soucy think so?